The view of what he has done previously is muddied by too much testosterone and whatever the heck else he put in his body to make him bigger, stronger and faster. But we’re not in a holding pattern either, waiting for May 28 and the 51st game of this season.

Right now, Grandal’s career, his legacy, his rehabilitation has started.

It wasn’t necessarily a great beginning to decline to answer questions from the media on Saturday. But neither was it as detrimental as some would lament.

Words are ridiculously cheap. We need to see Grandal's remorse, not hear it.

He has to be contrite, work hard and perform at a high level. That's all.

We can judge from there.

Sure, Grandal looks like he’s hiding something by not talking.

“I intend to cooperate fully in their investigations,” Grandal said in a statement, referring to the scrutiny by Major League Baseball and the authorities into the alleged activities of a South Florida anti-aging clinic alleged to have provided the Padres catcher and other major-leaguers with performance-enhancing drugs. “I have been instructed by legal counsel not to answer questions relating to the pending investigations. Based on that legal advice, I will have no further comment.”

Aside from our initial disappointment over Grandal denying us an Oprah moment on Saturday, we must acknowledge clamming up might be the smartest thing he could do.

Words can also be stupid. As much as the first instinct is to view as a copout someone miming on the advice of legal counsel, it is also pretty smart – especially if you have done something wrong.

Grandal has admitted he took a banned substance. He probably took more than one for longer than we know, and it would have been good to get an answer to that question. But, oh well. What would the answer have meant?

I don’t really care.

Sure, he cheated. Sure, his being busted ruined the fantastic story of his rookie season. Sure, he handicapped the Padres for the first third of this season.

But if you want to root for the Padres, get over it.

Grandal will be eligible to return at the end of May, and unless Nick Hundley is more than we’ve ever seen him be, Grandal will be back in the lineup soon thereafter. The Padres still plan on Grandal being their catcher of the future.

We’ll see soon enough if that bat speed was for real.

But for now, maybe consider where any of us would be if it weren’t for second chances.

Grandal admitted to taking a banned substance after his 50-game suspension was announced in November and did so again yesterday. He apologized to his teammates. He read a statement to the media (and appeared emotional doing so).

And now, it’s how he goes about his business that should determine how everyone – fans, media, teammates, his bosses – assess his career.

You want to talk about some wise counsel, Grandal should tape on his mirror what Bud Black said Saturday. That way, when Grandal looks at himself every day he will be reminded what it will take to make this mess a footnote and not a chapter heading.

“He has set out every day to be the player that he can become, to continue to go about being a major-league player," Black said. "As it pertains to this issue, not do it again. That’s what he’s got to do. And then each and every day will validate that by what he does.”

Grandal screwed up. Screwed up big. And screwed his team.

That doesn’t mean he’s screwed.

Not forever.

“Again,” Grandal’s 82-word statement concluded. “I realize that I made a big mistake and I very much look forward to returning to the field.”